Are Americans a Broken People? Why We've Stopped Fighting Back Against the Forces of Oppression AlterNet
A psychologist asks: Have consumerism, suburbanization and a malevolent corporate-government partnership so beaten us down that we no longer have the will to save ourselves?

Marines looking for a few good toys to meet rising demand floridatoday.com FLORIDA TODAY
COCOA — Heidi Trentham knows that she's still short of toys to fill the need for this year's Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots distribution in Brevard County

Sparks of resistance in the labor movement? SocialistWorker.org
AFTER A grim year for organized labor, those committed to class-struggle unionism can find a few good reasons to be cheerful this holiday season

Dogs, cats and swine flu’s promiscuity « The Pump Handle
Swine flu started in pigs (although we don’t exactly when or where), adapted to and passed to humans who returned the favor and passed it back to pig herds. Then we heard that turkeys in Chile had contracted the virus, followed by ferrets and a house cat.

Alex Sink: Who's Jim Morrison? - The Fine Print
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink doesn't have much to say about whether Jim Morrison, the deceased singer of The Doors, deserves a posthumous pardon.

Transparency and Economic Recovery: What States Are Required To Do and Why They Should Do It Progressive States Network
The new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains significant funding for the states, but it also has tight new transparency rules requiring states to track how all federal funds are being spent and the number of jobs created